huntress without fur

Quick feet through thick leaves. Brighid slid between a prickly bush and a slender tree trunk, silent despite the swirl of fallen foliage that stirred in her wake. Yellow darting ahead to mark the path as she went, bow held tight across her back by one hand, the other sweeping low branches from her face as she passed.

Up a crag. Teeth bared as loose rocks made warning beneath her feet. She slid with them to keep the from falling fast and clattering. Slowly slipping backward, stone rolling under the soles of her boots but not tumbling away. Wedged into a crevice, Brighid sprang forward again, knee brushing the top of the outcropping as she leapt. Dark braid lifted high by her bow.

Brighid pulled it over her head and shoulder. Release from across her back and pulled tight by lean muscle. Arrow drawn and fitted, fingers curling near her cheek, as if she would pull her own mouth into a smile. By she was stoic, tense, focused. Eyes darting though her hand was steady, searching.

Seeing. Arrow loosed with a breath. It flew, shaft as dark as her hair, feathers as grey as the sky just seen through the leaves. Twilight nearing, and then darkness to follow. But his antlers gleamed between the trees.

His own bow was slung across broad shoulders, Queenie trotting beside him as Solace entered the forest. It was a time of healing, of hunting, of prey. He was a wicked hunter and with Queen by his side, the cervini was even more deadly than normal. Tucking and weaving his neck just right, mustn't have those antlers catch up in the branches and mosses that grew wildly here, Solace continued forward. His trip today was more about feeding the dog than it was about feeding himself, but Solace had needed just a little space. Space from the people and accusations and rumors.

To many rumors. Too many people.

Trotting along, stopping here and there to check steps and prints. Nothing, nothing, the cervini moved along. Feet silent and the dog a steady presence behind him. She had learned long ago not to get in front of master, to stay behind and cover his flank. She would always do so. A breather was needed and Solace stood, taking in the wet air and breathing out evenly. Even the air was heavy and beautiful in Dea al Mon. A slide of rocks and Solace's head spun around. Opal up and coating his body, shoulders lifting away and the warlord prince inside him walking a fine line.

His own bow was up, arrow nocked when the wind shifted and Solace caught a glimpse of the person behind the miss spun arrow. Woman and stupid. Queen stalk from the bushes behind the dark haired girl, hackles raised and lips curled away from large white teeth, the woman in her sights. "She will tear you apart before I get there," he said loudly enough to be heard, fletching tickling his ear, "It would be best to come out now."

Probes of summer-sky, touching the yellow out there. Weaker than he and more human than he would ever be, "Do not loose another arrow, you will die before you can." More threads of opal coating his arrow head and shaft, strong enough that this yellow jeweled witch would be down before she could say "ow". Warlord prince on edge and becoming more angry. Solace hated being angry. Another loud growl from the dog and Solace waited for the witch to show herself.

Brighid would have cursed had she thought it would do any good. More likely she would completely give up her position and feel none the better for it. Lip curling, her eyes tracked the trees. Arrow gone and target missed, his antlers swinging through the shadows. She’d missed! Brighid snarled silently.

Double damn!

Worse was the snarling that came from behind her. Almost silent paws on the fallen leaves. Drawing another arrow, Brighid held it tight in one hand, like a needle fine dagger, bow shifting in her other. Too close to notch and pull. Not if she had to turn and aim for the dog. And if she aimed for the man again the dog would have her.

Taking a deep breath, Brighid thought, Yellow flaring beneath probes too dark to name. Teeth bared like the dogs, she whirled. Bow swinging, arrow jabbing, she spun and leapt, fleeing the four footed beasts and the two. Back down the rock and over a toppled tree. Brighid used it to run herself up another, slinging her bow over her back as she went, the string cutting across her neck.

Dogs could not climb trees. Brighid wasn’t sure about horned warlord princes, but it was worth a shot. Grunting as she pulled herself up, bark digging into her hands and crumbling under her boots. Up! Hooking a knee over a branch she yanked at her bow and fitted the arrow into it, looking.

Solace was still, silent as his probes and senses sent out. Searching, searching. Finding and found. Angry and angrier still that the witch ran from him. Ran and fled like a thief in the night. Like the life thieves who stole his sister. This yellow witch too stupid to know what she had done. Fangs gleamed from lips peeled back as the warlord prince fought himself. Death would come on swift feet, antlered and terrible if he caught her now. Perhaps it was best she fled.

Up. Up. Up.

Queenie touched by opal probes, the angry presence of the dog enough to drag Solace from the edge. Nearing the killing fields. Such an act was dangerous and sacrilegious if the Cervini damaged his Queen’s forest in his quest to find the yellow witch. Idiot witch. Solace moved forward, slowly and careful not to catch his rack on the branches and limbs that sought to slow him.The dog stalked the girl as much as her master, finding her treed and trapped. Summer-sky shield coated the dog. Opal send along a spell designed to wound the psyche. She dared damage him, he dared damage her.

“Come down now,” he hissed from his position near the tree but obscured enough she would have no shot, “Do not make me come there. Do not make me harm you, yellow girl. Come down now.” He put every ounce of warlord prince into the demand, less enough to stay controlled and off the killing fields. Queen whined from where she sat at attention, waiting and waiting. Solace knew his dog would protect him with her life and should that happen the yellow witch will not know what hit her.

Brighid could not see him, but she could feel him. Presence crawling over his skin like a vine rash. The dog gave away her position, but Brighid felt high enough to be safe. High enough to get a clear shot if she could just see him. But he was sneaky, sneaky and wicked. Yellow dormant at her breast, it would have done her little good anyway. Not strong enough to shield against the searing pain in her skull.

It burned red hot, like new coals, and dug up old memories. Pain fresh instead of bitter. The way the night had seemed to turn away from her. A mother’s back denying her. No Jewel. No wolf. It set Brighid’s teeth on edge, spasming fingers loosing grip and dropping her bow into the brambles below. Pressing her face into the tree with a yowl, Brighid tried to shake it away. Just memories. The past. Done now.

There were things more pressing to worry about in the present. Like evil men who gave orders. She was even less a dog than she was a wolf. Brighid barred her teeth at him in a silent snarl. Direct had now that he’d spoken. But there was no bow to cast an arrow with either. Arrogant prick. Her Yellow wasn’t useless, even if it came too late. Brighid used it against both warlord prince and dog. A high wind of sharp shards of craft, before leaping away again.

Squirrels managed it all the time. Birghid had even seen some skillful hunters passing between the trees. She was not so graceful as either. Scrabbling at branches until her fingers tore and she finally fell. Ground rising up to meet her and then slamming to air out of her lungs in a great groan.

Stupid witch. Stupid girl. Opal fed spells insidious and deadly. He had an awful delight in the pain he caused her, brown eyes narrowed and fangs exposed as he watched and waited. His demands ignored and Solace watched the stupid girl take flight. What did she think to accomplish? He was momentarily surprised that she thought to leap from tree to tree like a squirrel or sparrow. Idiot girl. Queen huffed at her master as her own golden eyes tracked the girl. Solace grunted and tightened his shields as yellow laced wind battered at him and Queenie. Foolish, foolish she was.

He could scent her again. Not human and but not animal. A wolf without fur. He watched her, his Warlord Prince deadly as she missed her branch. His breath huffed out with a humorless laugh as she scrabbled for purchase and failed. "Stupid girl," he hissed at her, "Did you truly think you'd succeed?" He laughed again as her breath flew from her in a groan. "Like a child who was never taught," he told the dog as they both moved to the prone body. Opal sent out to truss her uptight, the binding spells not his most skilled craft but opal strong enough for her.

He crouched next to her head, hand outstretched to move her braid away from her face. Antlers spread across his shoulders, their shadow casting his face in darkness. "Do you wish to die, little wolf?" he asked her quietly and flipped her braid back down. "Stupid girl." He shook his head enough to cause the finely wrought chains to twinkle with his jewels. Stupid girl. "You are lucky I am feeling generous or you would not live to see the morning." He could still kill her if she proved to be more of an annoyance and he nodded at the thought. Queen whined at his side, still coated in his summer-sky and Solace scratched her ear as he cocked a brow at the girl. "Will you behave?"

There was pain. It lanced from skull to ass and ricochetted off her heels too. More than the fierce sting in her shoulders, Brighid’s pride was wounded. Bleeding fierce and punitive. She cursed and tried to roll. To be prone on her back was to die. Even if she managed to get her feet under her, she still might die.

However it happened, Brighid would make sure her death was a glorious one. Not wasted flat on her back like a weakling or a whore. Half rolled and hissing as his threads caught her. Not clever craft, but strong, catching her limbs and pinned her. She managed to curl tight on her side. Drawing a knee up and an elbow down to protect her tender middle.

Soft flesh that would bruise and rupture too easily if unguarded.

Brighid bit at the hand that drew her braid from her eyes. Hair tickling her nose as if the throbbing in her skull was not insult enough. Her teeth were blunt, but she thought her jaws strong enough. Snapping like a snared beast and turning a baleful eye on him. If he thought to let her live and not suffer her knife at his back, more the fool he. Her pack would grow fat on the sale of his antlers once she had carved them into art.

”You are very brave, hunting Yellow Jeweled witches.” She snarled, straining at her bonds and yanking his ankle with her Yellow. Just a little leverage and she was certain she could slam her shoulder or even her head into his tender male bits. Maybe he would lose his hold on his craft and she could gut him like the prey beast he was. ”Why don’t you try some of this behave.” Jewel pulling and body jerked forward, Brighid tried to drop him and free herself.

She would not be slain by a cervini. And if she must die in such an ignoble way she would make him suffer as much as she could before the end.

Welcome to Witchlight

We are an AU Black Jewels RPG that is continuously expanding the world lore to truly make it our own. Come join us and play in our sandbox!

Open for over a year, we have 9 unique races, from birds to wolf-shifters. Feel free to drop into our Discord, lurk our wanted ads, and see if Witchlight is the fantasy site you should always have been looking for.

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Witchlight is loosely based upon the Black Jewels Series by Anne Bishop though it has been adapted and expanded by our members. All lore, characters, and writing belongs to the members. Site graphics & custom codes were created by the staff. A special thanks to Wolf & Katarina for all their help with the planning of Witchlight and the writing of the base lore.